I've been bass fishing for the past 4 years and love it.  I have only used spinning reels thus far and am thinking of buying a baitcaster.  What are the benefits?  Any suggestions as to why I would want to use one?  I know they can be more accurate for casting.  

Suggestions, comments, etc... are welcome.

thanks.

I think it's just personal preference than anything.  I use all baitcasters except for a couple of spinning rigs that I use for finesse fishing and drop shot fishing.  Anything under a 1/4 oz and I'm throwing a spinning rig.  You just can't get the distance on lighter baits with a baitcaster without getting a bird's nest.

But I don't finess fish much, so I use baitcasters 99% of the time.  You'll find people here like Roadwarrior who use mostly spinning rigs.  My partner won't touch a baitcaster and can cast as accurate as me.

With a baitcaster, I like the control I have over the distance of my cast.  I also like the way it feels in my palm.  A baitcaster is hard to beat when you're flippin' and pitchin' baits.  Once you master the baitcaster, it's hard to go back.

Thanks for the feedback.  I guess I should tell you this as well.  I fish quite a bit with Senko's and other plastic worms.  I do also go topwater with some jerks, cranks and spinnerbaits.  Will the baitcaster be ok to use with plastic worms?

It's all personal preference.  For me the only reason I ever picked up a baitcaster was to pitch.  I felt it was the only thing I couldn't do with a spinning rig.  Now I am using all baitcasters.  For me it works and that's all I use, finesse too.

All I can say is try it and see what works best for you.  Lots of people use both, lots of people use one exclusively.  Niether are right or wrong.

I prefer a baitcaster for worms. For some reason, the setup feels better for hopping a bait. I think it is how the reel sits in your hand. But if you want great accuracy and unequaled quiet presentations, get a baitcaster. You have to play around with them both before you can make a good choice.

The two biggest benefits to a baitcaster IMO is power and accuracy.  You can stop the bait and place it anywhere you want on a cast without running the risk of line twist.  And with a baitcaster you can usually power a fish out of heavy cover quickly, where you can't really do that with a spinning reel.  With a baitcaster if you hook into a fish in the grass, or you get one trying to make a run to the stumps you can get him turned and into your boat (or on the bank) better than you can with spinning gear.

I use spinning tackle for most of my lighter and finesse presentations.    Shaky Heads, Drop shot, flukes, trick worms, etc.  Pulling large spinnerbaits and large crankbaits - the power of a baitcaster is a big advantage.   One more advantage is that the baitcaster usually gives you the advantage of being able to cast larger line easier if you need it.

Spinning---up to #8 test for freshwater and all the tactics and presentations that go with this size line.

Baitcasting--- #10 test and up  "   "    "    "     "     "

And with a baitcaster you can usually power a fish out of heavy cover quickly, where you can't really do that with a spinning reel. With a baitcaster if you hook into a fish in the grass, or you get one trying to make a run to the stumps you can get him turned and into your boat (or on the bank) better than you can with spinning gear.

Why is that???  This is not my experience, a heavy rod with a reel that has a locked down drag is just that, locked down.  Line will break before reel's drag will fail.

I have been fishing a lake with very little flip/pitch terrain.  I use spinning gear there 95% of the time with NO issues.  Baitcasters come with me to places like Fork but not the home lake.  Very clear water where the long cast makes the difference.  Spinning gear there, allllll day long,lol.

Spinning---up to #8 test for freshwater and all the tactics and presentations that go with this size line.

Baitcasting--- #10 test and up  "   "    "    "     "     "

Justfishin and I have a similar approach. I really don't have a preference between the two, I use both, but for different techniques and most importantly, lighter or heavier weight. I use spinning tackle for soft plastics and baitcasting gear for most hardbaits, but that is mostly a function of the weight of the lure and the line size I want to fish.

As KU_Bassmaster stated, "It's all personal preference."

And with a baitcaster you can usually power a fish out of heavy cover quickly, where you can't really do that with a spinning reel. With a baitcaster if you hook into a fish in the grass, or you get one trying to make a run to the stumps you can get him turned and into your boat (or on the bank) better than you can with spinning gear.

Why is that??? This is not my experience, a heavy rod with a reel that has a locked down drag is just that, locked down. Line will break before reel's drag will fail.

I have been fishing a lake with very little flip/pitch terrain. I use spinning gear there 95% of the time with NO issues. Baitcasters come with me to places like Fork but not the home lake. Very clear water where the long cast makes the difference. Spinning gear there, allllll day long,lol.

Most of the waters I fish are stained to muddy so lite line and long casts are not necessary.  Around here most of our water is flooded timber so there are a lot of stumps, branches, grass, and other "stuff" that I would really prefer a fish not get wrapped up in.   I feel more comfortable with a baitcaster bring a fish out of junk as quickly as possible, and my experience has been that with spinning gear you have to play the fish more.  Now, I will admit that I have never used heavy line on spinning gear, and I tend to let my spinning reel have more give with the drag system.  Why are you bringing your baitcasters to Fork?  Probably the same reason I use them in waters I usually fish. ***

***At this time we feel it is prudent to mention that the opinions stated by me, are merely that, MY OPINIONS.  They do not necessarily reflect that of the moderators on this website (obviously).  LBH and RW would fight to the death with (insert favorite diety here) if he/she stated that baitcasters were the superior choice for bass fishing.   ;D

Not so!

I recognize situations where a baitcaster is the better choice and use it accordingly. Although I intend to start out fishing my "standard equipment" for various presentations at Fork, I may quickly move to "baitcaster only." The rod & reel are simply tools, choosing the right tool for the job is all we are really talking about.

BTW and just a little off-topic: Do you think I need stronger line at Lake Fork?

Bottom line IMHO-

Light line (4,6,8 lb) and finesse applications (grub, small tube, hair jig, drop shot, shaky head, light CB's like #5 or 7 Shad Rap)- Spining tackle.

Line from 10-30 lb and more power applications (flippin, cranking, spinnerbait, carolina rig, large topwaters, etc.)- Baitcaster.

Be versitile, and use what works best in a given situation. I don't have a prefernce between the two. My preference is whatever presents the bait in the best way to allow me to catch more fish.

BTW and just a little off-topic: Do you think I need stronger line at Lake Fork?

I guess that just depends on how comfy you are fishing around timber.  My buddy while we were there had one fish hooked up on 10# Seaguar floro (on spinning tackle) take him around a stump and the line snapped.  Most of the fishing you will probably do I'm guessing will either be fishing over grass flats or on beds.  I would recommend that you have at least on rod set up with 12-14 lb line or with braid for fishing in and around stumps.  

What Shadcranker said...

I have a good arsenal of spinning and baitcasting tackle and I use both regularly.  I agree that smaller lures/techniques work best on spinning tackle but I tend to use my baitcasters more than anything because I can use bigger line and I don't have to worry about line twist.  

I use mostly baitcasters.They fit my style of fishing.I like to powerfish with spinnerbaits,crankbaits,jerkbaits,pitchin'/flippin',and several other techniques.I also use a couple of spinning rigs for lighter lures and for finese fishing.I really get into dropshotting,splitshotting,and throwing weightless plastics.That's where the spinning rigs come into play.